Teagasc, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland.
Animal Production Systems group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands.
J Anim Sci. 2022 Apr 1;100(4). doi: 10.1093/jas/skac079.
Housing and feeding are integral to calf rearing, and must meet calf needs while remaining functional for the farmer. This study compared health, behavior, growth, and labor requirements of calves housed in groups indoors and fed via an automatic or manual milk feeding system compared to calves manually fed in individual or group hutches outdoors. Seventy-six (49 Holstein Friesian [HF] and 27 HF × Jersey) dairy heifer calves were balanced for birth weight (35.2 ± 4.95 kg), birth date (1 February ± 7.2 d) and breed. The experiment was a randomized block design with four treatments; 1) indoor group housing with automated feeding (IN_AUTO; 12 calves per pen), 2) indoor group housing with manual feeding (IN_MAN; 12 calves per pen), 3) outdoor group hutch with manual feeding (OUT_G_MAN; 8 calves per pen), and 4) outdoor individual hutch with manual feeding (OUT_I_MAN; 6 calves: 1 per pen). Calves in OUT_treatments moved outdoors at 18 d (± 5.9 d). Each treatment was replicated once. Milk allowance increased gradually from 6 to 8 L/day (15% reconstitution rate) with ad libitum fresh water, concentrates, and hay offered from 3 d old. Gradual weaning occurred at 8 wk old. Measurements were divided into period 1; before movement outdoors, and period 2; after movement outdoors. Health was similar among treatments, regardless of period, with the most frequent score being zero (i.e., healthy). Summarized, standing and lying were observed 24.3% and 29.8%, respectively, in OUT_I_MAN calves, compared to 8.0% and 49.1%, for the other systems, which were similar. No difference in bodyweight (BW) existed between treatments, except at weaning where BW was lower for OUT_I_MAN (67.4 ± 2.84 kg) compared to IN_MAN (74.2 ± 2.01 kg), and day 102 where OUT_I_MAN (94.1 ± 2.85 kg) were lighter than IN_AUTO (101.1 ± 2.10 kg) (P = 0.047). Total labor input was greatest for OUT_I_MAN (00:02:02 per calf per day; hh:mm:ss) and least for IN_AUTO (00:00:21 per calf per day) (P < 0.001). The labor for feeding (00:00:29 per calf per day), feeding inspection (00:00:10 per calf per day), and cleaning equipment (00:00:30 per calf per day) was greatest for OUT_I_MAN. All calves showed good health and growth patterns. Differences in behavior expressed by calves in the OUT_I_MAN, compared to other treatments may indicate compromised welfare. Thus, although outdoor group hutches do not negatively impact calves, indoor housing, particularly using automated feeders, can improve labor efficiency.
饲养和喂养是小牛饲养的重要组成部分，必须满足小牛的需求，同时对农民保持功能性。本研究比较了室内群体饲养和自动或手动牛奶喂养系统喂养的小牛与在户外单独或群体笼中手动喂养的小牛的健康、行为、生长和劳动力需求。76 头（49 头荷斯坦弗里生 [HF] 和 27 头 HF×泽西）奶牛小母牛按出生体重（35.2±4.95kg）、出生日期（2 月 1 日±7.2d）和品种进行平衡。该实验采用随机分组设计，有四个处理；1）室内群体饲养和自动喂养（IN_AUTO；每栏 12 头），2）室内群体饲养和手动喂养（IN_MAN；每栏 12 头），3）户外群体笼和手动喂养（OUT_G_MAN；每栏 8 头），4）户外单独笼和手动喂养（OUT_I_MAN；每栏 6 头：每栏 1 头）。犊牛在 18 天（±5.9d）时转移到户外。每个处理重复一次。从 3 天大开始，牛奶供应量逐渐从 6 升/天（15%的再配给率）增加到 8 升/天，并提供自由饮用的淡水、浓缩物和干草。8 周龄时逐渐断奶。测量分为两个时期；1）在转移到户外之前，2）在转移到户外之后。无论在哪个时期，处理之间的健康状况都相似，最常见的评分均为零（即健康）。概括地说，在 OUT_I_MAN 犊牛中，站立和躺着分别观察到 24.3%和 29.8%，而其他系统的站立和躺着分别为 8.0%和 49.1%，相似。除了断奶时 OUT_I_MAN（67.4±2.84kg）比 IN_MAN（74.2±2.01kg）轻，102 天时 OUT_I_MAN（94.1±2.85kg）比 IN_AUTO（101.1±2.10kg）轻外，处理之间的体重（BW）没有差异（P=0.047）。OUT_I_MAN 的总劳动力投入最大（每头犊牛每天 00:02:02；小时：分钟：秒），IN_AUTO 最小（每头犊牛每天 00:00:21）（P<0.001）。OUT_I_MAN 每头犊牛每天用于喂养（00:00:29）、喂养检查（00:00:10）和设备清洁（00:00:30）的劳动力最多。所有的犊牛都表现出良好的健康和生长模式。与其他处理相比，OUT_I_MAN 中的犊牛表现出的行为差异可能表明福利受损。因此，尽管户外群体笼不会对犊牛产生负面影响，但室内饲养，特别是使用自动喂养器，可以提高劳动力效率。
